Tomo Yomi Plus
by Funakounasoul
Summary: November 1...a date that will always be remembered. An addition arrives into Tomo and Yomi's lives, though with new additions, new obstacles are sure to follow...Toyomi, Azuchild, Discontinued
1. Prologue

_November 1, 2006...I will never forget that date...Well, neither will Yomi. Heck, she even remembers the exact TIME. But that's not me. I can't remember details like that. I will say this, though – that basic date...I will never forget._

_How can I forget it, though? It was a pretty crazy day, but...at the same time, there was a plus. A special kind of "plus." A plus that changed our lives forever..._

* * *

Tomo-Yomi Plus

By Funakounasoul

Disclaimer: I do not own the established Azu characters (Yomi, Tomo, and Osaka), but I do own everyone else.

Note: Only this part is in 1st-person. The rest of the story is done in 3rd-person. Also, language warning.

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

It was break time for some of us at the police academy. Even though I've been striving to become a police officer for some time at that point, training sure was long and boring. I just wanted to patrol the streets already! There's always a catch, though – obviously, you can't become an officer until you passed your training. Lucky for me, I was a college graduate, so my training time was halved.

I heard a phone ring by our instructor's office, but I didn't really care at first. It was snack time for me, after all. Before I could even sit down, however, the instructor called me up. Apparently, the call was for me. I figured it was probably Yomi again, reminding me to get some orange juice, or lemonade – whatever she felt like drinking. She has called here before just to tell me that. So much for my break...

Did I mention Yomi's pregnant? Yeah, we're both going to be mothers soon! Uh...long story...but it'll be explained later. Anyway, all this time, I've had to watch her and do any, and every, thing she told me to do. There were painful moments – plenty of them, in fact – but in the end, it's all worth it.

Anyway, I thanked my instructor and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" I tried to sound as nice and calm as possible. The last thing I wanted was for Yomi to lash out at me with another crazy mood swing.

"Ah, Tomo...Good thing you're there and all."

"Osaka?" It was actually Osaka on the phone and not Yomi. That's a rarity. Then again, she does visit us often. It's a good thing her teaching at the nearby preschool allows her to check up on Yomi when I'm gone. "Uh...what's up?"

"Tomo, I have some news for you. It happened so fast...and it's really nice here. I just got some candy from a vending machine!"

"Osaka, what the heck are you talking about?"

"Well, Moriya-san's here, too...He's pretty shaken up..."

"Ryo-kun?" Osaka was referring to a good friend, and neighbor, of Yomi and me. His name's Ryo Moriya – really nice guy, actually. He's been our neighbor since me and Yomi moved into the apartment complex 4 years ago. As soon as I entered this training, he promised to watch over Yomi...but why is he shaken up? Don't tell me... "Did Yomi...have an extreme mood swing?"

"Not really..." In the background, I could hear Ryo shout unintelligibly, followed by Osaka calming him down. "Well, she was pretty wild on the way here..."

"Wait a minute." Now I was confused. "What do you mean 'on the way here'? Where are you guys?!"

At that moment, I could hear Ryo scramble up to wherever Osaka was. "T-T-T-T-T-TAKINO-SAN! MIZUHARA-SAN'S I-I-I-I-I-N...SH-SHE'S IN..."

"WHAT?! WHAT'S UP WITH YOMI?!"

"Er...DAAAAHHHHH!! TOMOOOOOOO!!" That scream was so loud, it blew me away...figuratively. I recognized it, too – it belonged to Yomi. It actually sent shivers down my spine. It sounded like she was in a difficult position.

Before I could ask what was going on again, Osaka regained access to her phone. "Wow, Yomi's all the way over there, and we could clearly hear her..." I heard Ryo shout again. "Okay Moriya-san, I'll tell her...Yomi's havin' the baby."

I froze...literally. I even dropped the phone, much to my instructor's annoyance. Finally, after nine, long, painful months, it was time. I remember being a little disappointed that I wasn't actually there for the first moments, but at least I could make it there in time for the most important part...right?

"Takino-san...What is the meaning of this?" I blinked out of my trance to find my instructor holding up a cracked phone.

I didn't even bother to chuckle like usual. "Sir...Mizuhara-san...my roommate...She's in labor and she needs me." No one at the academy knew Yomi and I were together in a romantic sense, so they only knew her as my roommate. "May I be excused to be by her side?"

He looked over me for a moment, but fortunately, he accepted my request. As soon as I heard him say those magic words, I zoomed out of the building like a bolt of lightning. The hospital was nearby, too. I could only hope I would get there in time. Luckily, with my energy, I got there within five minutes. That was good, seeing as if I got here slower, I would surely miss the most important moment of all. After running into the building, and running up some stairs, I turned a corner and opened a door...

"YOMI! I'M HERE!!"

...Okay, so I missed the maternity ward by a floor. I apologized to the people in the room and quickly made my way upstairs. Hopefully, that would be my only mistake today.

When I reached my real destination, I was greeted by both Osaka and Ryo. Ryo was still shaking, but he seemed better than what he sounded like on the phone. Osaka, meanwhile, was as calm as usual, chewing on some sort of candy.

"Takino-san, thank goodness you're here! It was so sudden...It was a good thing Kasuga-san was there in time."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, he's talkin' about the moment Yomi's water broke...though I didn't see any leaky pipes..."

The two went on to explain the strangeness that was the ride to the hospital. Luckily, the door to our apartment was unlocked – just as I told Yomi to leave it during these days – so Ryo easily rushed in to lead Yomi downstairs. Osaka managed to grab the suitcase, though she was continuously talking about leaking pipes, even throughout the car ride. Poor Ryo, on the other hand, was stuck consoling a pretty pissed off Yomi up until they reached this floor. Even so, she was getting angrier by the minute, and it was all because she wanted me to come here.

"Takino-san, there you are." I turned around to find Dr. Matsumoto, the man who had been there for us since the beginning, nervously standing behind all of us. He's helped us during all this time – even with our jobs and stuff, but that story's for another day – and he was the man who was in charge of that experiment me and Yomi decided to enter. He looked kind of worried, though. "Mizuhara-san seriously would like you to be by her side. She keeps shouting your name..."

"TOMOOOO!! GET THE...HELL IN HERE...DAMMIT!! GAAHHH!!"

"...Just get sanitized and get in there as soon as possible."

I twitched. I had to go in there...with Yomi acting ten – no, _a hundred _times worse than those mood swings?...I had to go. I had no choice. We both made it this far, we might as well face our final challenges together. After sanitizing myself, I quickly dashed into the room before Yomi exploded in fury like the last two times. Ryo and Osaka waved goodbye, though they looked as if we were all never going to see each other again. That only made me feel worse...

When I entered the room, I could tell Yomi had been here for a while now. Her face was contorted in pain. She was still screaming, though not as loudly as before, and if she wasn't screaming, she was performing some incredible breathing exercises. They were pretty loud, to say the least. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and even her glasses were a little fogged up. Two nurses were trying their best to calm her down, but she kept insisting that she needed me. I felt sorry for them – Yomi's wrath is one you don't really want to witness firsthand, especially if you're not used to it like I was. Good thing I had rushed up to her side by then...

"Yomi! I'm here! I'm finally here..." I even clasped her hand to calm her down somewhat.

That didn't really help.

"Tomo..." she whispered harshly, though her voice was getting louder, "Where...the hell _were_ you?! I'm in AHH – FUCKING AGONY RIGHT NOW!!"

Well, that was expected. I tried to recompose myself. "I was training, of course! I came here as fast as I could...really, I did!"

"HA! For all I know...you could've taken a...stop at...some stupid vending machine!"

At that moment, Dr. Matsumoto decided to talk, thank goodness. "Now that Takino-san is here...I suggest we start this as soon as possible. Ten minutes was a long wait...No more waiting."

"FINALLY-EEEE!!" I had no idea what had just happened, but I was being yanked forward from my uniform's tie by Yomi's left hand. Needless to say, I was gasping for breath. She was actually choking me!

"Ono-san! Get Takino-san free, but do it fast!" I noticed a nurse approach me and helped me loosen my tie as I broke free from Yomi's grasp. I knew I forgot to do something...Well, I hoped that would be the last thing that would happen to me. I didn't really care if Yomi yelled at me (which she was, and quite fiercely, by the way) or even bopped me on the head (she was doing that, too). I just didn't want to get hurt too badly on this special day.

After being rescued from suffocation, I turned my attention back to Yomi. I was a little too squeamish for the real action, to tell the truth. I did look at the doctors occasionally, however – I didn't want to cancel out _everything_. I also needed to watch Yomi in case she got rowdy again. Actually, all the doctors and nurses there were truly depending on me to keep her as calm as possible.

As calm as possible...which wasn't that calm, anyway. Heck, even I began to sweat from all the effort. Nothing could really calm her down, that is, until this was all over...but that wouldn't be for a while, unfortunately.

"Come on, Yomi! You can do it...You can do it...No pain no gain!"

"No pain? I'M FEELING ALL SORTS AAAAHHH-F PAIN RIGHT NOW!! DAMMIT!!"

"Er...I mean...Really! Relax...and push!"

I could hear Dr. Matsumoto exclaiming something about the baby at that point – something good, by the look of his face – but I couldn't hear him over Yomi's voice. "YOU WANT ME TO – GAAAHHH – FUCKING RELAX AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!" She then hit me square in the middle of my head. "I'LL SHOW YOU – EEERRRGGG – YOUR DAMN RELAXING!!"

That hit really hurt my head. It was now pounding slightly, but I had to ignore it...for Yomi's sake. "Yomi...just a little more...Seriously! You can do it! Think about the kid you're gonna hold in your arms soon! Our kid!"

"You..." Yomi sneered, grabbing me by the collar. "You're so happy about the end of this whole thing, huh? There you are, pain-free and happy...telling _me_ to be happy and to..._relax_...THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT I'M IN PAIN RIGHT NOW!! WHY CAN'T YOU BE IN MY PLACE?! WHY?!"

Hold it. First of all, it's not really my fault – Yomi and I both agreed to do this. Also, she _volunteered_ herself to bear the child. I did suggest myself, but she refused it and said she _wanted_ to do it. She knew very well what she was getting into, and she volunteered anyway. She did...Then again, do you think I should _really_ be correcting her right now?

I didn't think so.

Though I had lost track of time, I do remember quite of bit of time had passed since this all started. We were all showing signs of fatigue, yet by the looks of the others, I could tell we were almost there. We were all now trying to calm Yomi down, spouting out any and all compliments we could come up with. She was relaxing a little, thankfully, but she still had a ways to go. Just a few more pushes...I was sure of it.

As if on cue, Dr. Matsumoto told Yomi that the girl was almost out – she just needed to help up just a few more times. Yomi was gasping by now, though she was not yelling anymore. I was already congratulating her, patting her hand and kissing it as if we were never going to see each other again. I could already feel the tears streaming down my cheeks...Ah, we had finally reached the finish line!

"Almost...almost...There she is!"

I instantly turned around to try to catch a glimpse of the baby, but...I soon realized that was a terrible mistake.

"GAHH!!"

_**POW!!**_

I could feel myself stumble backwards, but I couldn't stop myself. Why? Yomi, in a last effort to push the baby out, had sent an uppercut straight to my right eye. The shock, and power, of it all caused me to black out...at the most precious moment of all...

Poor me...Poor, poor me...

"...Tomo?"

I noticed nothing but darkness around me, though I could hear someone calling my name. It was a voice I knew very well, but the tone used was one I haven't heard in a long time. It was calm and soft – a kind and gentle voice. I tried to open my eyes at that moment, but realized my right eye was in pain. I touched it and noticed it was swollen. It was then I remembered the uppercut; Yomi had punched me so hard, I received a black eye. Still, I managed to open it somewhat, as well as my good eye, and found Yomi looking right at me.

We were all alone now, and everything was quiet. I was now sitting in a chair by the wall which was farther away from my previous location of Yomi's bedside. Yomi, meanwhile, did not have her glasses on, yet she was looking right at me. It seemed she had been looking at me all this time, actually. Her expression was a mix of worry, tiredness, and relief.

"Tomo...I'm so glad you're finally awake," she whispered. She raised her hand, motioning me to come closer. I nodded, scooting my chair closer to the bed since my legs felt a little weak. When I reached the bed, she took a closer look at what I knew was my injured eye and frowned. "I hurt you pretty bad, didn't I?"

"...Yeah, you did...but it's okay. It was my fault, really."

"No...It's mine. I know it is." We looked at each other eye-to-eye – well as much as we could – and I noticed a hint of sorrow in Yomi's eyes. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry for earlier...and everything you had to go through all this time. I know I had some crazy moods, but I just couldn't control them. You understand...right?"

I could only nod in reply. While it was true, she was still unaware of all the physical pain I had to endure all this time. That was a good thing, though – I didn't want her to feel like she was more of a burden, especially after what she had to go through earlier. Yomi then smiled and kissed my blackened eye. "At least you won't have to worry about all that anymore..."

We were silent for a while before I realized something. "Yomi! The baby! You got to see her, right?!"

"Ah yes...I saw her...and held her..."

"So?! Is she cute or what?!"

Yomi laughed. "Of course she's cute! She's a beautiful girl...Our beautiful girl."

"What's she look like?"

"Oh...you'll find out, soon. They're going to bring her in a little bit, actually. I told them not to bring her until you were awake."

I could feel myself smile, inside and out. I was going to see our daughter soon. I secretly thanked Yomi for making that request. I guess that was just one way she could make up for all the things she had done during these past nine months.

Just then, Dr. Matsumoto walked in, smiling slightly. "Takino-san, I'm glad you're finally awake. You received quite a blow there..." He then took out a clipboard and began to write a few things. "Out of those 25 couples, 7 managed to conceive. Even still, only 4 made it this far, including yourselves. Congratulations, you two...You are the proud mothers of a wonderful, healthy baby girl."

I finally couldn't contain my excitement from it all. "So? Where is she?"

"Oh, she's right outside, actually...You can bring her inside now!"

A nurse then stepped into the room, pushing a cart in front of her. I quickly got up from my seat. I didn't even have to move after that – the nurse gently handed the baby over to me. I was actually a little nervous, so I sat back down. I did not want to make another stupid mistake; not now, especially with a newborn in my arms. I had to admit, though, this was a really happy occasion. You couldn't really sit still at a time like this.

"So," the doctor began, "As you know, she can only take one of your family names officially. Have you decided which one?"

"Takino." I looked at Yomi, surprised. "She'll use Tomo's family name."

"Okay...What about her name? Have you decided on what to name her yet?"

"Ah, Tomo should know what it is...right?"

I blinked. That's right...I was supposed to name our child. We had planned that for some time now – Yomi thought it was the least I could do, seeing as she was going to be the pregnant one. I took this duty to heart, actually; I wanted our child to have a great name, a memorable name, a _unique_ name. The thing is, there aren't many unique-sounding names in Japanese...and I didn't want to go through baby-naming books to find some exotic, foreign names. Still, I've been searching for the perfect name, but sadly, I could not come up with one.

I looked down at the sleeping girl. It was then I noticed some things. Even though I couldn't see much from my right eye, I could clearly see her features now that she was this close to me. Her small tuft of hair...it was dark, so that obviously meant she had my hair color, though it was still too early to figure out if she had my flip or Yomi's straight style. Her lips looked a lot like mine, and I figured she would probably smile like me later on, as well. Her little nose was just a little pointy at the end, similar to Yomi's nose. When I took a closer look, I noticed she also had Yomi's ears...and her eyes. Even though she was sleeping, I could definitely tell she had Yomi's gentle-looking eyes.

That was it. It struck me like a hammer. I had finally figured out a name for this child. I looked over at Yomi, who smiled back. She did tell me long ago that as long as the name wasn't completely ridiculous, she would instantly accept the name I have chosen for our daughter. I knew for certain she would love this name. I already loved it. It was truly a great name, a memorable name...

And most of all, it was very unique.

"Takino-san? Do you have a name for her?"

"Yeah...I do. Her name is..." I looked at Yomi one last time and grinned. I was feeling proud at that moment. I felt like I had just accomplished a large sports event, made up of every single sports event I could think of. I knew Yomi felt the same way – she had that look on her face, too.

After today, it wasn't going to be just Tomo Takino and Koyomi Mizuhara. Oh no...We had an addition, a spectacular addition. She was going to be a great child, I knew she was. Yomi would make sure of it. I would make sure of it. From now, it was Tomo and Yomi plus one more...and she will be known as...

_Koyomiko._

* * *

Well, this idea's been bugging me for a long time now (since fall 2007, actually). At first, I wanted to get "Wildkitten Koyomiko" out, so I could properly introduce Ryo Moriya better...but...man, this idea just wouldn't leave me alone. And especially after writing "Endurance" (from my "Break Time" series) did this story resurface...with a vengeance.

Well, this is obviously out before "Wildkitten", and to all my fans who REALLY wanted to see that come out first, I'm sorry...This idea just needed to be exposed once and for all. Also, sorry for the lack of...er...childbirthing process. I did my research (a lot of it, too), but I guess I was just too chicken to go into detail. Forgive me!

Anyway, the rest of this series is going to be written in 3rd-person, just as a reminder. It was cool seeing this day in Tomo's POV (and grammar), though, wasn't it? Also, expect to see more of Ryo...as well as some other OCs, some familiar, some not. Also, expect "Wildkitten Koyomiko" to FINALLY-FINALLY debut...I won't say when, though, as that seems to be a curse...See you next time!


	2. Parenting 102

_Three months had passed since little Koyomiko's birth. Like all parents, Tomo and I are very proud of her. She really is perfect in every way and so precious, too. Sure, all parents say the same about their children, but...how else can I describe her? She really is._

_These first three months were actually pretty peaceful. It was a little too perfect, in a way, but we loved and cherished every minute. It was calm, quiet, easy... At least, it USED to be..._

* * *

Tomo-Yomi Plus

By Funakounasoul

Disclaimer: I do not own the established Azu characters (Yomi, Tomo, and Osaka), but I do own everyone else.

* * *

**PARENTING 102**

Tomo and Yomi groaned. It was nighttime and – just a few moments ago – they had settled in to get a good night's sleep. That was not going to happen, however. The sounds of an infant crying instantly woke them up. The origin of these cries came from only a few feet away – it came from none other than Koyomiko.

"Tomo, you go check," Yomi slurred. "I already fed her."

"Mmngh..." Tomo raised herself and crawled over to the area where Koyomiko lay. It was typical of the child to cry once or twice each night, so the two were unfazed by tonight's occurrence. All Tomo needed to do was check up on the girl, calm her down, then go back to sleep – a very simple strategy.

"There, there, Koyomiko..." she murmured while stifling a yawn. "Just relax, okay?" After a few more minutes of shushing, comforting, and cooing, the child was finally asleep once more. Tomo smiled. Though she was tired, and she was happy to know she could sleep again, she could not help but stare at her daughter's sleeping form. She was just so cute, after all. With a gentle pat on the girl's head, she whispered a good night and returned to her futon.

Later that night, the sound of Koyomiko's voice pierced the quiet room. Both women woke up once again. Tomo instantly got up and headed towards the girl. "Don't worry," she muttered, "I'll handle it."

She lifted the child into her arms for the second time that night. "Come on, don't you wanna go to sleep? Sleep is good...very good..." Noticing the girl was not going to stop crying so easily, she decided to get up and walk around. Hopefully, she thought, the combination of comforting and the bounces of her own walking would calm Koyomiko down. "Walking's good, too, huh? Yeah...Let's walk around the main room!"

It took a longer amount of time to do it, but Tomo finally got Koyomiko to sleep. It took over an hour, in fact. By then, Tomo was terribly tired. Thankfully, she did not having any training that day, so she could sleep in. To her, that was a very good thing, indeed.

Unfortunately, in a sense, Tomo would have to sleep in longer than originally planned. A few minutes later, Koyomiko cried once again. Tomo was the first to approach the girl and tried to comfort her again. "I have a feeling you want something..." she tiredly said to the girl, pointing at her as she spoke. "You do, don't you?"

Koyomiko simply answered by taking in the finger that was apparently being offered to her and began to suck on it. Tomo noticed this and, after her mind finally woke up long enough to realize what was going on, finally understood what the girl wanted. Unfortunately, she could not free her finger from its current location so easily, so she walked back towards the sleeping Yomi and shook her by using her foot.

"Yomi, she wants you..."

"Huh? Wha?" The harsh movements caused by Tomo's foot had awoken the other woman instantly. "Dammit, Tomo...What do you mean?"

"Well, uh...My hands are kind of busy at the moment...but she wants you. Definitely."

Yomi reached over and grabbed her glasses. After adjusting to the darkness that filled the room, she then knew why Tomo was "busy." The other woman simply sat there, looking at Yomi tiredly while Koyomiko continued sucking on her finger.

She instantly knew what the child wanted. "Okay," she sighed, "hold on, I'll take over for you." Swiftly, yet gently, Yomi removed Tomo's finger from Koyomiko's mouth, taking hold of the child and moving her to a more comfortable position in her arms.

"You are a very hungry girl," the brunette giggled quietly. "You only had your last meal a few hours ago!"

Tomo watched this scene from her futon with a smile. She wanted to make a crack about the girl growing up to be "just like Yomi," but she was quite sleepy, and the sooner she could lay down and close her eyes, the better. Slowly, her eyelids fell into their restful position, and as they did, she continued to smile at the sweet interaction between mother and daughter...

"_WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!_"

Tomo rose from her futon in a flash. Yomi rose a few seconds later, also shocked. The crying had returned. Grabbing the clock, the two noticed it was almost four in the morning. Well, they thought, at least they had a fair amount of sleep since the last time.

"Yomi...what are we going to do?"

Yomi groaned. It had arrived late, but they were finally going to witness the energy-depleting side of parenting. "I knew our first months were too good to be true..."

For the next hour, they tried everything. They soothed her, walked her around, tried to feed her, check her diapers – nothing worked. At one point, they decided to try a lullaby, but due to Yomi's notorious singing voice, that plan failed miserably. They were finally experiencing this part of parenthood; they knew it would happen, yet they did not even try to prepare for it. Instead, they took advantage of those first three, easy months. They were truly being "punished" now.

"Wah! We tried _everything_!" Tomo cried out, falling onto the floor, exhausted. "And she still cries! What are we forgetting, Yomi?!"

"I...don't know!" The two continued to stare at the crying child before them. "It's a good thing our neighbors are heavy sleepers, though..."

"Yeah...but you never know if someone'll move into the other apartment next to us."

"Don't say that!" Yomi hissed rather harshly, though it was mostly due to the stress building up between the two. "Don't even _try_ to jinx it!"

"Geez, Yomi, still into jinxes? That's so..."

"Tomo...now is not the time."

Suddenly, the cries from Koyomiko lessened, and eventually ceased altogether. Yomi looked down at the child in her arms to find her sound asleep. Whatever the reason, Koyomiko had finally calmed down. Fortunate for the two tired mothers – as soon as they settled the girl back into her area, they weakly crawled back to their own futons and collapsed, where they would only get a few more hours of sleep.

It was ten in the morning. Yomi woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. She was still tired, but at least she got to sleep longer this time. She had no time to at least brush her hair, though, as the doorbell continued ringing. Getting up, she made her way towards the door and opened it.

Now she wished she had at least brushed her hair...

"My goodness, Yomi, did I wake you?"

"Ah, well...not really, Takino-san. I was...just getting up myself." It was Tomo's mother who decided to pay a visit this morning.

"Well, good morning to you! I decided to pay a visit today. I had this feeling you might need me."

As Yomi let her in, she sighed in relief. Just what she and Tomo needed, she graciously thought.

Mrs. Takino was a kind woman. She also had the typical spirit of the family as well – her energy was quite abundant, even at her age. She was shorter than Tomo, as well as a little plump, yet she had the same "flip" to her hair that Tomo had. Ever since the day Koyomiko was born, she visited their apartment more often, offering to lend a hand when they needed it.

"Where is Tomo? Is she training today?"

"No...Not today..." Yomi replied, then muttered a quick "fortunately."

"Ah, so she's sleeping...as usual." Mrs. Takino giggled, placing her gift for today – a large bowl filled with food – on the table, then asked, "What about Koyomiko-chan?"

"She's sleeping, too." Yomi decided it was best to not talk about the night before...yet. She at least wanted Tomo to sleep a little longer and wanted to enjoy Mrs. Takino's breakfast first. After what they had to go through last night, they deserved a little break.

"Aw, that's a shame. I wanted to see her..."

Suddenly, as if she could hear the conversation from her area, Koyomiko started to cry. It was a typical wail, though, unlike last night's ordeal. Nevertheless, the crying caused Tomo to wake up in alarm.

"GAH! When will it end?!" she yelled, her voice obviously making its way to the main room in the process.

"Huh?" Mrs. Takino asked, "When will what end?"

Yomi gave the older woman a weak smile. "Well..." Without another word, she dashed into the bedroom, retrieving the uneasy Koyomiko, and returned with a sigh. "Well, if you want to know, we had trouble sleeping last night."

"Ah..."

"Yeah, she was crying all night long. We figured out three of the problems, but by the time she woke us up the fourth time..."

Mrs. Takino nodded. "Yes, yes...It's about time she did."

Yomi was confused. "Huh?"

"Yomi, what you experienced last night is a _must_ in parenthood. Babies need a lot of attention, and they'll do in in any way, and time, they can. If Koyomiko-chan didn't cry that much, then...there could've been something wrong. You need to start getting accustomed to this, too – you and Tomo, both. She _will_ do this again, but you already knew that."

Looking down at the now-calmed child in her arms, Yomi sighed once more. Mrs. Takino was right – she knew this was going to happen, and she knew it was going to happen again. It was a typical experience all parents must face in raising a child. However, she could not help but scold at her leniency towards it all. She needed to be aware of these things and try to prepare for those moments, for she knew Tomo would just wait until the moment actually happened for her to do something.

"Nggh...Good morning, Yo – er...Mom?"

"Tomo! You're awake! Sit down, we were just about to have breakfast!" Tomo nodded, and sat beside Yomi, giving her partner a questioning look. As Mrs. Takino was filling up a bowl of her breakfast for her daughter, Yomi quietly explained what had happened before her arrival.

"Oh...So, she's going to help us or something?"

"Maybe...I _hope_ so."

After everyone finished their breakfast, attention was reverted back to last night's ordeal. Now with Tomo available, both women explained the whole night to Mrs. Takino, who took in every last word. To the older woman – who already had experience, obviously, from raising Tomo – it was a typical ordeal. Unlike her experiences, though, it was much milder than what she had to go through. Recalling the moments when infant Tomo would cry her eardrum-shattering cries, Mrs. Takino could not help but stifle a small giggle. At least with her experience, she could toughen up these two just in case.

As the final words were uttered, Mrs. Takino gave the two a thumbs up. "After hearing all of that, I think I can give you a couple of pointers."

"You can?! Thanks, Mom!"

"Oh, of course, Tomo! I once took care of a child, too, you know..."

"Oh...yeah..."

With a deep breath, the lesson immediately began. "Now, listen carefully. Take notes, even! What I am going to tell you will help you for many months to come! Out of my experiences, I have noticed it is best for one parent to get adjusted to nighttime activities while the other takes care during the day. The problem with this, though, is that Tomo has training...and will eventually become a full-fledged police officer. She must be awake during the day, but at the same time, only Yomi is available to take care of Koyomiko-chan during the day..."

"So...what would you suggest?"

Mrs. Takino crossed her arms, thinking. "Hmm...Well, we could get Yomi to adjust to the night shift with a few afternoon naps. Tomo could also help at night for a while, maybe during the hours before midnight. That way, she would be a little rested before heading to train."

"Basically, you two need to fix your sleeping patterns so that Koyomiko-chan has 24-hour care. One of you would be awake enough to take care of her during one part of the day, and the other would have energy for the other part."

"But the question is," Yomi suddenly interjected, "_how_? How do we do this?"

"It's really simple! Just rest."

"...That's it?"

"Well, yes! See, Tomo, you can take a little nap after training so you can handle the first half of the night. Since Yomi's here all day, she can take naps during the day when Koyomiko-chan's quiet, and she can go to sleep earlier as a sort of pre-shift nap. When Tomo's shift is over, she wakes Yomi up and you can stay up until the last wail, and then Tomo can watch over her as she gets ready for the next day and the cycle repeats."

Tomo and Yomi thought about this plan. It sounded easy, but it probably far from it. The most complicated part was the "shift change" at night. What if Koyomiko wanted to be fed? Would Tomo have to wake Yomi up anyway? Of course she had to. Yomi, in particular, wondered if she could go back to sleep afterwards. Overall, Mrs. Takino's plan was interesting, and it could kind of work, but there was truly no real solution for the nightly cries.

"I see you're doubting this plan. That's okay, though. It was very hard for your father and I to get adjusted while you were young, Tomo, and it took us a long time to find that solution. It fit with our schedule the best, though. I don't know about you two..."

Yomi smiled. "Thank you for the idea, though. I think it could work, but...we might have to tweak it a little."

"Yeah, it might take us some time to get used to it," Tomo added with her own smile, "but you won't see us this, uh, messy anytime soon, Mom! We promise!"

"Oh, you don't need to promise anything, Tomo! And I've seen you in the mornings plenty of times! This isn't any different!"

Tomo scratched her head, laughing weakly. "Oh, yeah..."

That evening, after dinner was served, Tomo and Yomi prepared for bed. As this was the night after the ordeal, and they felt like it would happen again tonight. Koyomiko had already cried a while ago, and it took the two almost half an hour to calm her down. It was like a sort of premonition.

As Tomo changed into her nightwear, she asked, "So...who gets the first shift again?"

"I think it was you," Yomi replied from her futon, "because you have to be up in the morning."

"Ah..."

"I just hope she doesn't need me before my shift..."

Tomo simply nodded, walking over to the tall, but not completely filled, bookshelf and grabbed a magazine to read. From the corner of her eye, she could see Yomi continuously glancing at the sleeping Koyomiko, and stifled a laugh. "Yomi, don't worry about it. I'll be up. If she cries, you don't have to get up. I'll take care of everything until it's your turn!"

"...But...what if..."

"If she needs you, I'll let you know." Tomo smiled. "This is our trial, okay? We're just doing what my mom said for tonight, and if there's anything wrong or awkward or anything...well, we fix it!"

Yomi smiled. "You make it sound easier than what it really is."

The other woman replied with a grin. "Heheh...Well, that's what I do! You don't want it to sound impossible, right?"

The two shared a laugh, then Yomi answered, "No, I guess not."

Tomo then got up, turned off the bedroom light, and turned on the lamp from Yomi's desk. She then sat by the desk, which placed her between Yomi and Koyomiko. By sitting here, she thought, she would have easy access to both...just in case.

She looked over Yomi, then over to Koyomiko, and finally back to Yomi. This was their first hurdle in what would eventually be the long obstacle course that was known as parenthood. When she thought about it, Tomo realized the two were pretty much ready for whatever obstacle would appear in the future. Then again, they had only experienced this ordeal once – it was going to happen often throughout these upcoming months.

Meanwhile, Yomi was thinking virtually the same thing. Despite this thought, however, she smiled. Koyomiko was just a baby, after all, and she has needs just like every other person, young or old. The difference was that crying was her way of getting one's attention, and the adults would have to figure out what she wants on their own. That was quite a challenge, but she and Tomo would figure out a great strategy to overcome it.

Tomo came to this same conclusion and smiled as well. She was definitely ready for all the challenges that would rise. She would help out as much as possible, even after she became a full-fledged officer. Most importantly, she would be there for both Yomi and Koyomiko, and they would be there for her.

Tomo then looked at her partner once more. "Yomi?" she asked the dark figure within the futon.

"Mm?" was the muffled reply.

"We kind of forgot something..."

Yomi slowly got up from her bed. "...and what would that be?"

Crawling over to the brunette, she planted a short kiss on her lips. "We forgot to say 'good night', of course!" she replied with a giggle.

Yomi smiled back, though she was hiding the smirk that wanted to emerge at that moment. "Oh yeah...so we have."

"Well?"

"Well...what?"

The two laughed and kissed again, saying "good night" simultaneously afterwards. After getting readjusted in their previous spots, the looked over the quiet, sleeping form of Koyomiko and whispered a "good night" to her as well.

Then, as if she had heard her mothers, the child moved her arms in her sleep as her way of saying "good night" to them.

* * *

Well...well, well, well. Would you look at that? You just read an actual update to this fic!

Anyway, because of the format of this story, all Author's Notes will be presented down here, after the end of each story. Another reminder – please read the "Explaining Wildkitten and TY+" Journal found at my devART page (or by finding the link in my profile here...you got to scroll to the "Individual Story Information" section, though) for some important things to consider while reading this series.

Really. Read it. It's for your own good.

Well, I will see you...next time! Yeah, next time!


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